The Importance of Restaurant Location - A List of Location Selection Criteria For a Restaurant

Once youve decided to start a restaurant business youll need to choose a location where your new venture can thrive. Location is of great importance on the viability of a restaurant business. While you know you require a good restaurant location with plenty of space, there are lots of other things to consider. The following offers a list of selection criteria that can be used to assess how good a specialized location is.

Local Zoning Regulations

Among the list of first things to check out while you are selecting a location for a restaurant is exactly what uses the building is permitted to remain used for under the area zoning scheme.

Some sort of Trade Off Between Cafe Location and Rent

It is obvious that a restaurant should try to be in a prime location that has good exposure and good nearby traffic flows. However these types involving locations come at a price and that is certainly the high rent that you have got to pay. A good alternative can be to have a less prominent location such as down a side lane or on the second or third floor of a building. You will then be able to save a fortune with rent and negotiate much more favorable leasing terms with the building owner. However you do need to compensate for a poor location with a top notch marketing plan together with food and service that encourages customers to return.

Operation Size

You should have a pretty good idea of the size of the restaurant operation you want to establish. One of the basic requirements which includes a location will be its large enough for you to arrange a restaurant of ones desired size and concept. Health and safety laws will dictate the amount of people can occupy that building so you should find out about these requirements before you take a look at locations. You may end up deciding that the property that you thought was perfect is too small for the clientele you need to attract.

Accessibility

You can see that restaurants are usually situated areas with good accessibility and are close to business areas and residential areas. Being accessible will make certain you can attract the volumes of people that you need to sustain your business. Stand outside the building that youre considering using to open your restaurant. Count vehicle and base traffic flows and compare them with other locations you will be considering.

The exception to the rule here is if you have an out of the way location including at a beach or a vineyard for example. Sometimes the unusual location of a restaurant can become a feature. Keep in mind that below the right circumstances people value features say for example beach view or mountain / hill scenery over convenience together with accessibility.

Lease or even Buy

You need to decide if leasing or buying premises for your restaurant would be your best move. Both options have their advantages and drawbacks. Most restaurant entrepreneurs begin with leasing and preserve their capital for startup fees and business growth rather then investing in property as well.

Have some preliminary discussions with building owners and make an attempt to get an idea of how flexible they will be on the terms of a lease. Reaching an agreement over a lease might be a lengthy process so it helps if you possibly can deal with building owners that you can communicate well with. The should be open to some negotiation and discussion.

Area Demographics and Market research

Think about what kind of neighborhood your proposed restaurant space is located within. Then think about the kind of restaurant that would be well suited for the surrounding residents. Take some time to study the demographics of the area to attempt to find out the age, ethnic background and socio-economic status in the local population.

The local Economy and Location Selection

People will only be going out to restaurants in restaurants if they have jobs and discretionary income to enjoy. Give some thought to help local economic conditions before installing your restaurant. How is business sentiment in the local area?

The local economy will also affect your available choice of concept. Fast food typically remains popular within a poor economy but higher priced menu offerings will thats doubtful work well in a town where there are factory closures.

Competition and other Businesses

Before deciding on a restaurant location among the list of criteria that you must consider is the other businesses that are in your community. A lot of competition is not necessarily a bad thing since it means that the market is healthy and can support a whole lot of restaurants. However you obviously want to minimize the competition that you will have nearby your restaurant as much as you can. At least make sure that you choose a restaurant strategy that is unique in the market so that you have few direct competitors.

Secondly, you should find out if there are actually other businesses nearby that could be complementary to a restaurant. For example, if there is a movie theater across the street from your restaurant then you may see good business from movie goers because they come in to dine before watching a film.

Parking

You ought to have a fairly good concept of how customers would get a restaurant at your proposed location. A great restaurant will ideally have its very own parking lot. Depending on your concept, nearby public parking will also be acceptable. However, keep in mind that many people will simply drive on to another restaurant once they have nowhere to park there car. Note that in some cities, proximity to public transport may be more important than vehicle.

Exterior and Environment

Take a good glance at the sidewalks and other buildings which might be around the location that in store. They can sometimes affect a prospective diners impression of your business. You will have bit of control over your neighbors so you want to choose a restaurant location with surroundings which were neat, tidy and well maintained.

Renovation Bills

Different locations can have different costs associated using converting an available space to a restaurant. One big factor affecting the scale of renovations is a buildings previous use. If the previous owner also ran a restaurant on the site then remodeling requirements ought to be minimal.

You should keep upgrading costs to a minimum if youre leasing a space for a restaurant. You could consider spending more if youll be able to negotiate with the building owner and get them contribute to these costs. The length of your lease as well be a factor in determining the amount to spend.

Take along a constructing inspector or some contractors who have had experience remodeling structures for restaurant owners and ask them for their ideas on renovation costs.

When you decide to get started a restaurant keep in mind that location is one of the very important factors that might determine your success. Evaluate the above criteria as you work through the selection process. The building that you really choose should not only take a prominent location but it surely should also be practical and functional allowing your restaurant to operate smoothly.



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